Perhaps you recently have seen some students standing outside of the Memorial Union or on the corner by the Loaf-n-Jug holding “Freeze-a-Thon” signs. These students tend to look half-frozen, but they are still surprisingly upbeat. Maybe there’s a reason for that — giving warms the heart.

I spoke with David Ballard, the philanthropy chair of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, who gave me some of the details on the event.

The Freeze-A-Thon is an annual event run by students from the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and from the Kappa Delta sorority, which involves having students stand at the corner of 12th and University for 96 hours straight to raise money for Nokomis Child Care Centers in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Nokomis provides childcare for low income families, and the donations go towards providing toys and scholarships for the children, along with supporting the facilities in Fargo-Moorhead.

The Freeze-A-Thon happens every year during February, specifically because it is smack dab in the middle of the cold season. The goal is to freeze, but at least they have a reason for it. No need to worry too much about frostbite — the students stand for hour long shifts before getting back to the warmth

The Freeze-A-Thon has been an annual event for the past thirteen years and has raised significant amounts of money for Nokomis. The Giving Hearts Foundation matches the amount raised by the Freeze-A-Thon up to five thousand dollars, which has led to a total donation of anywhere from $12-14,000 to Nokomis per year for each of the last four years.

If you don’t happen to have any cash on you when you walk by those frozen folks, no worries. You can donate to the cause online. So go ahead — warm those frozen hearts.